Thomas FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Kildare

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The attack on Dublin Castle by Silken Thomas, woodcut from the 16th century

Thomas FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Kildare , called Silken Thomas ( Irish Tomás an tSíoda , * 1513 in Ireland , † February 3, 1537 in Tyburn ) was an Irish nobleman and rebel leader.

family

Thomas FitzGerald was a son of Gerald FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Kildare , and his first wife Elizabeth Zouche. From about 1533 he was married to Frances, daughter of Adrian Fortescue. The marriage remained childless.

Life

Before Thomas' father was called to court in England in 1534, he appointed his son to be his deputy as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland . His father was arrested as a result of the hearing in the Tower of London .

After hearing rumors that his father had been executed and that he and his relatives faced the same fate, Thomas gathered the council at St. Mary's Abbey in Dublin and revoked the oath of allegiance to King Henry VIII , Lord of Ireland . In July he unsuccessfully attacked Dublin Castle . FitzGerald lost the support of the Church after executing Archbishop of Dublin John Alen of Clontarf who tried to mediate. In the meantime his father had died in London, so that Fitzgerald inherited the title of Earl of Kildare .

However, he received nowhere near as much popular support as he had hoped for. In view of the British troops brought in, his troops melted more and more together. FitzGerald lost his base in Maynooth and surrendered with an assurance of safe conduct.

Thomas was imprisoned in the Tower, charged with treason along with his five uncles and sentenced to death. The judgment was carried out by drawing and quartering on February 3, 1537 in Tyburn. He had previously been stripped of his earliest status. The title was not restored until 1569 for his half-brother Gerald , known as the "Wizard Earl".

literature

  • Mary Ann Lyons: Church and Society in County Kildare, c. 1470-1547. Maynooth History Studies Series 1999, ISBN 978-1851824595

Web links

predecessor Office successor
Gerald FitzGerald Earl of Kildare
1534-1537
Gerald FitzGerald